Sialic acid is an essential nutrient important for brain and immune function, but is not widely available. The two current primary routes of production, natural extraction and chemical synthesis, are unsustainable, expensive, low yield and/or damaging to the environment. By making sialic acid production cheaper, more efficient and more sustainable, our solution will address issues around accessibility, particularly in infant formula, and have far-reaching positive impact in line with several UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Sialic acid, or N-acetylneuraminic acid, is an essential nutrient required for brain and immune system development. It has important health benefits including the promotion of brain development and function, as well as protection against pathogens. It is used in infant formula to promote the development of low-birth-weight babies.

The primary natural sources of sialic acid are animal tissues, but the extraction process is slow and expensive. Chemical synthesis is more common, but it is costly, low yield, and pollutes the environment through the waste it produces. The first major sialic acid production breakthrough was published in Nature in 2001. Scientists were able to produce sialic acid from glucose in a three-step process in which bacteria was used to break down glucose into smaller sugars. A multi-enzyme complex then completed the conversion process. A second major publication in 2005 showed how the multi-enzyme complex was necessary for the conversion, providing further information to overcome previous yield issues. Our team’s solution is to transform sialic acid production into a more affordable, scalable and green process by using synthetic biology to engineer E. coli to act as an efficient whole-cell biocatalyst that can be used in industrial production.

Our commitment to sustainability is woven into every aspect of our project. We have identified nine specific SDG targets across the social, environmental, and economic pillars where our innovative production of sialic acid can create a significant and lasting positive impact.

Social Pillar: Nurturing Health and Cultivating Knowledge (SDGs 3 & 4)

• SDG 3.2: Ending Preventable Deaths of Newborns and Children: Our project’s most profound social impact lies in its potential to democratize access to essential nutrition. Sialic acid is critical for boosting newborns' immune systems and supporting cognitive development. A robust immune system is the first line of defense against infections that can lead to preventable deaths in children under five. Currently, high-end infant formulas fortified with sialic acid are a luxury inaccessible to many low-income families, particularly in developing nations. Our project directly confronts this inequity. By optimizing the production process, we can dramatically reduce the cost of sialic acid (currently as high as 6000-6700 yuan/kg), making it an affordable ingredient for all formula manufacturers. This will allow more children, regardless of their family's income, to receive the nutritional foundation they need for a healthy start in life, directly contributing to lowering mortality rates.
• SDG 3.8: Achieving Universal Health Coverage: Universal health coverage includes access to affordable essential medicines and health products. Our project contributes by focusing on preventative health. By making sialic acid affordable, we enable the creation of low-cost nutritional supplements that can boost the immunity of the general population. Stronger community-wide immunity reduces the incidence of common infections, subsequently lowering healthcare costs and easing the financial burden on families and public health systems. This is especially critical in resource-poor communities, where preventable diseases can be financially devastating. Our work helps shift the focus from treatment to prevention, a cornerstone of equitable and sustainable healthcare.
• SDG 4.7: Education for Sustainable Development (ESD): We believe that creating a sustainable future requires educating its architects. Our project serves as a practical, real-world case study for bioengineering students on how to apply their technical skills to solve global challenges. We actively engage with students, challenging them to think beyond the lab bench. We posed questions like, "How can your bioengineering education prepare you with the skills to promote sustainable development?" and "How did you apply your knowledge to support SDG goals...?". By incorporating research on efficient and green production processes into training, we provide students with competencies to address issues like nutritional disparities. This hands-on experience in ESD not only enriches their education but also inspires a new generation of innovators committed to social equity and health well-being.

Environmental Pillar: A Circular and Biodiverse Approach (SDGs 12 & 15)

• SDG 12.5: Substantially Reduce Waste Generation: Our project is a direct answer to the call for waste reduction through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse. Our core technology—linking the enzymes NAL and AGE on molecular scaffolds—is designed for maximum efficiency. This improves the conversion rate of substrates, minimizes leftover reactants, and, through enzyme immobilization, allows for the enzymes to be reused across multiple production cycles. This is a stark contrast to chemical synthesis, which is plagued by byproducts and waste streams. Furthermore, by replacing animal-derived extraction, we eliminate the significant upstream waste associated with processing animal tissues. Our approach embodies the principles of a circular economy, preventing waste at the source rather than simply managing it after the fact. We are also exploring how by-products of our fermentation could be purified and sold, such as pyruvate or GlcNAc residues, creating additional value streams and further minimizing waste.
• SDG 15.1 & 15.5: Protect and Restore Terrestrial Ecosystems: One of the most significant environmental benefits of our project is providing a viable alternative to the harvesting of edible bird's nests, a traditional and high-value source of sialic acid. This practice has severe ecological consequences. During our stakeholder research, we specifically investigated these impacts by asking experts, "Are there data on mortality rates of swiftlets or chicks when nests are removed before fledging?" and "How does cave or cliff harvesting affect other cave-dependent species (bats, insects, etc.)?". The answers confirmed that unsustainable harvesting threatens swiftlet populations and disrupts fragile cave ecosystems that harbor unique biodiversity. Our biotech production completely decouples sialic acid from wild resource exploitation. By offering the market a pure, safe, and ethically produced sialic acid, we aim to reduce the economic incentive for unsustainable harvesting, thereby contributing to the conservation of biodiversity and the protection of natural habitats.

Economic Pillar: Innovating for Sustainable Growth (SDGs 8 & 9)

• SDG 8.2 & 9.2: Achieve Higher Levels of Economic Productivity and Promote Sustainable Industrialization: Our project is a catalyst for economic upgrading. By moving away from resource-limited extraction and inefficient chemical synthesis, we are promoting a shift towards a knowledge-based bio-economy. Our proposed automated control systems and optimized production processes are designed to raise unit capacity by 30%, directly addressing the goal of improving productivity. This technological innovation fosters a more sustainable model of industrialization—one that is less reliant on finite resources and more focused on high-value, clean technology.
• SDG 9.5: Enhance Scientific Research and Upgrade Technological Capabilities: At its core, our project is an endeavor in scientific innovation. The main challenge in the whole-cell catalysis of NeuAc is that the two key enzymatic reactions are reversible, leading to low conversion rates. Our innovative solution is the design of a multi-enzyme complex using fusion proteins or protein self-assembly to bring AGE and NAL into close proximity. This innovative approach is designed to solve critical issues of substrate channeling and product equilibrium, pushing the reaction towards higher yields. This work not only optimizes sialic acid production but also contributes valuable knowledge to the broader fields of enzyme engineering and synthetic biology, thereby enhancing scientific research and technological capabilities.

By collaborating closely with academia, industry,, and the public, our project is able to more effectively target the real-life, on-the-ground needs of society and be aligned with the intended purpose of the SDGs.

5.1 Experts in Academia and Clinics: Validation of Scientific and Sustainable Approach

Professor Yang Dong, a professor of biochemistry with a focus in post-translational modifications of proteins, was consulted to better inform the science behind our system and biosynthesis approach for producing sialic acid. Dr. Yang’s inputs on the key technical challenges that need to be overcome for a viable system (by-product, as well as endotoxin removal challenges) were fundamental in the design of a scalable and sustainable production process for the sialic acid. The improvements to the enzyme expression system that his input informed, resulted in better productivity, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability. These solutions were clearly linked to SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure) through better system productivity and sustainability.

5.2 Industry Experts: Validating Product-Market Fit and Commercial Potential

Ms. Cui Binhui, a senior industry analyst , was consulted to better understand the commercial potential and industry needs for sialic acid. She was able to provide the team with information and analysis on the current state of the sialic acid market, both from a domestic and global context. This included an understanding of the oligopolistic nature of the international market, as well as the rapidly expanding domestic market and potential opportunities for entering the field. Ms. Cui also advised on the importance of highlighting the sustainability benefit of our approach to biosynthetic sialic acid production, as rising demand would require that manufacturers be able to produce the molecule in both cost-effective and environmentally friendly ways. This advice will play a large role in our approach to SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), where we should be able to minimize the environmental impact of our production process.

Mr. Ye Mao, a senior manager and head of production at ApicHope Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd., who has experience working in the production and quality testing for high-quality sialic acid, was consulted on the scaling and commercialization challenges of producing high-quality sialic acid. Mr. Ye provided in-depth insight into the strict regulatory compliance and safety standards needed for the production of pharmaceutical and nutraceutical ingredients in China, which has informed our approach to defining our product specifications. This consultation was very useful in our commitment to SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), since it ensures that our production process is scalable and that we are able to produce the molecule at a quality which can meet the demands of large-scale production and be viable for use in the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industry.

5.3 Public Engagement: Understanding Needs and Building Awareness

Stakeholder engagement was also conducted by engaging with the public to better understand the needs and concerns of the end-user. We conducted several surveys as well as street interviews to obtain feedback from a cross-section of the public. The feedback we received largely pointed to a significant lack of awareness of sialic acid and its functions and benefits. Some respondents had also expressed some concerns on the safety of synthetic biology and products which used materials produced via synthetic biology methods. However, the majority of the respondents were open to trying products which used sialic acid, as long as they were affordable and certified as safe for consumption by relevant bodies. This input was very important in drawing attention to SDG 4 (Quality Education), which would involve the education of the general public on the safety of synthetic biology and our product. The other insights we were able to draw from the feedback provided by the public included the need to be very transparent and communicative about the sustainability of our process and the ethical nature of our production methods in order to meet the public’s expectations.

5.4 Commercialization and Market Strategies: Perfecting the Approach

Prof. Oliver Yu, an expert in synthetic biology with a focus on commercialization strategies, also advised us on the key aspects of industrialization and scaling of our biosynthetic process. He recommended that we be more aggressive in the adoption of industry strategies such as leveraging on university-industry collaboration to take our project for the biosynthesis of sialic acid towards commercialization. He also pointed out the important role of communicating the environmental benefit of the biosynthetic approach, and recommended quantifying the difference in carbon footprint of the biosynthetic versus extraction process as a way to do this. Both of these inputs have informed our strategy to meet SDG 13 (Climate Action), and will ensure that we have a solid production process and minimize environmental impact.

Prof. Yu also advised us to be open to the possibility of product development innovations around packaging and other product formats, as well as recommended that we use consumer-friendly packaging options to allow for ease of use and better market acceptance. This input has since informed our product development strategy, and ensures that we are well-positioned to meet market demand in both B2B and direct-to-consumer models.

Guided by the belief that synthetic biology is here to do good, the work of our iGEM project has naturally entailed a substantial impact evaluation component. The need to synthesize sialic acid already established the impact problem our team would be focusing on: an essential nutrient encumbered by unsustainable and inequitable manufacturing processes. The design of a robust, green, and economical whole-cell biocatalyst was our proposed solution to this problem. However, we also took the time to think critically about our work's broader contributions to the future of manufacturing and the SDGs. Our chosen SDG targets spanned social, environmental, and economic categories and the alignment of our work with these targets was detailed in our Impact Highlight. Impact evaluation, informed by extensive stakeholder feedback and integrated with the design process from the very beginning, was a critical component of our project as it gave our team the opportunity to think about our work at this scale and throughout the product lifecycle. We are proud of the work we have completed so far and excited to continue this research moving from lab to pilot production and beyond.

1. Kang, J., Liu, J., Zhang, D., & Lu, J. (2018). Development of an Escherichia coli-based biocatalytic system for the efficient synthesis of N-acetyl-D-neuraminic acid. Metabolic Engineering, 47, 374–382. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ymben.2018.04.010

2. United Nations. (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. United Nations General Assembly. Retrieved from https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda